Brady Backs Ocho, ‘Going To Click For Us’

Chad Ochocinco and Tom Brady, seen here in the preseason. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

BOSTON (CBS) – The New England Patriots are in a bit of a funk, but quarterback Tom Brady thinks the team is primed to snap out of it against their biggest rivals on Sunday.

That includes receiver Chad Ochocino, who Brady thinks is ready to break out.

“He’s continued to do a great job in practice in his role that’s he really carved out for himself,” Brady said on Wednesday. “And he’s going to continue to be out there, and hopefully make a bunch of plays for us. I mean, one of these days, it really is going to click for all of us. You always go back to the foundation that we’ve built, which is based on hard work and getting out there and working your tail off.”

Brady Talks Chad Ochocinco

Ochocino has just nine receptions for 136 yards and no touchdowns this season. The Brady-Ochocinco connection went 0-for-5 against the New York Giants on Sunday, but Brady adds if the Patriots didn’t feel a player could contribute, he wouldn’t be on the field.

“If they’re on the field, we’re very comfortable in having them out there,” the Pats quarterback said. “That goes for me as well. If the coach is comfortable putting me in the game, that’s what he’s going to do. If he’s not comfortable putting me in the game because he doesn’t trust me, then I’m not going to be in the game. I’m trying to stay out on the field, doing the right things more often than not.”

“He’s working hard like every other guy on the football team,” running back Kevin Faulk said from the Pats locker room on Wednesday. “You can see it. It’s showing, you just have to keep going.”

“There’s room for improvement for all of us,” head coach Bill Belichick said when asked about Ochocinco. “That being said, there’s things that we’re doing well – we just have to do more of it, we have to do it more consistently. That goes for everybody – whatever player you want to name, I would say pretty much I would fall into that category.

According to ProFootballTalk.com, NFL Films cameras caught Brady chatting with Ochocinco after one of their incompletions, telling the receiver, “You’re doing good. Just keep playing hard. That’s all I want.”

“Everybody is working hard,” said Brady. “You just realize at some point it’s going to pay off for all of us. You keep working hard, you keep staying late, you keep communicating, you’re working at it, you’re competitive, you’re trying to do the right thing, it’s going to pay off. We got a long way to go.”

Tune in to the Patriots-Jets game Sunday night on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Pregame coverage begins with Patriots Gameday on WBZ-TV at 11:30am, with the Hub’s pregame beginning at 5:00pm. Tune in after the game for the Patriots Postgame Show, and Patriots Fifth Quarter on WBZ-TV.